In the meat and meat packing industries, conveyor belts and conveyor systems are commonly utilized to transport meat in processing plants.
The most frequently employed conveyor systems comprise a number of interlocking conveyor modules linked together to form a continuous conveyor belt, which is driven by a sprocket. Some examples of these types of conveyor systems are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,925,016, 6,423,279, 3,602,364, 4,072,062, 4,080,842, 4,213,527, and 4,556,142. Some systems both drive the belt and track the belt with the sprockets. Many of these devices, however, either lack adequate drive surfaces on the belt or provide inadequate tracking, allowing the belt to wander.
Therefore, there is a need for a conveyor system that addresses at least some of the problems associated with the conventional systems. In particular, a conveyor system is needed that is easy to drive, without fear of frequent failure, or disengagement between the sprocket and conveyor belt.